Working longer for the taxman

Tax Freedom Day, the day in which the average American has earned enough income to pay off his or her annual tax burden, will arrive April 30 this year - two days later than last year and 12 days later than in 2003. That means Americans will work four months of the year for the taxman.
For New Jersey taxpayers, Tax Freedom Day won't arrive until May 16 - the third latest date of the 50 states (ahead of only Connecticut and New York.)
According to the Tax Foundation, which makes the annual Tax Freedom Day calculation, 32.69 percent of the average American's income will go toward payment of taxes this year. That percentage is higher than any other years in American history but 2000 and 2001.
In 1900 and 1910, Americans paid about 5 percent of their income in taxes. In 1920 and 1930 it was about 11 percent. By 1950, the percentage rose to about 25 percent. The highest percentage ever was 34.0 percent in 2000. The lowest share in recent years was 29.5 percent in 2003.

Sleepless nights ahead for pension padders

One of the most intriguing aspects of today's 20-count corruption indictment against state Sen. Wayne R. Bryant, D-Camden, and R. Michael Gallagher, the former dean at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey's School of Osteopathic Medicine in Stratford was the fact Bryant's pension padding - a practice engaged in by many public officials - was treated as a crime.
According to the indictment, Bryant, capitalizing on a pension formula that allows public officials to use their three highest years of income to determine their annual retirement benefit, was able to triple his pensionable income between 2002 and 2006, from $28,000 to $81,269, by taking on multiple government jobs. He was associate counsel for the Gloucester County Board of Social Services, a no-show lecturer at Rutgers-Camden and a "program support coordinator," a loosely defined job with no actual responsibilities, at UMDNJ-Stratford.
Prior to 2002, Bryant's three highest annual government income totals were about $50,000, $62,000 and $64,000. By 2006, the year he became eligible for a full pension, his additional jobs boosted his three highest salaries for pension purposes to $155,000, $172,000 and $177,000.
This indictment will send shock waves throughout the state. Any public official who has anything to hide, and who knows Bryant knows they have something to hide - will not be sleeping well in the months ahead. Bryant, like most corrupt officials, will do anything to minimize his time in jail. If he chirps, he will bring a lot of people down with him.

Katie and Elizabeth yes, John no

Katie Couric has taken a beating for her interview with John Edwards and his wife Elizabeth on "60 Minutes" Sunday about their decision to continue his presidential campaign despite the recurrence of Elizabeth’s breast cancer.
Couric was relentless in questioning whether it was appropriate for them to continue life as normal in light of the news that Elizabeth Edwards' cancer was back, had spread to her bones and was incurable. While doctors say it's impossible to predict how long she might live, fewer than one in five people diagnosed with stage IV cancer for the first time survive for more than five years. The survival rates are even lower for someone with a recurrence of cancer.
I saw the interview and was somewhat surprised at how frequently Couric returned to the issue of whether the decision to continue the campaign was appropriate given the diagnosis, the fact the couple has two young children and the difficulty Edwards might have in fulfilling his duties, should he be elected President, if he had to tend to a dying wife. I don't think Couric's questioning was out of line, however, given the nature of the story.
I've never cared much for John Edwards, who strikes me as totally insincere, scripted and vain, and convinced that America needs him. His appearance on "60 Minutes" did nothing to change my mind. Asked how he responded to those who suggested their decision to continue the campaign was prompted by "insatiable ambition," he responded, "I think that I know, when I'm running for president, I'm running for president because I want to serve this country, and because I want all people in America to have the same kind of chances that I've had. I've come from nothing to now have everything. And I think everybody in this country, no matter who their family is, or what the color of their skin, ought to get that chance." Straight out of his stump speech. And to a similar followup question, he replied, "I care about her (Elizabeth's) situation. I love her. And I'm gonna always care about her situation. But I understand that I have a responsibility to this country. It's why we're doing this."
Elizabeth Edwards, on the other hand, won me over, with responses like this:
"You know, you really have two choices here. I mean, either you push forward with the things that you were doing yesterday or you start dying. That seems to be your only two choices. If I had given up everything that my life was about – first of all, I'd let cancer win before it needed to. You know, maybe eventually it will win. But I'd let it win before I needed to."

New Jersey's autobahns

I had business to tend to up north yesterday, and took the Turnpike to get there, and the Garden State Parkway to return to work. On each roadway, the flow of traffic in the right lane was 70 mph-plus, and approximately 75 to 80 in the far passing lane. As usual, I saw no troopers on the Garden State Parkway. On my trip up the Turnpike, much to my surprise, I actually saw one - a rarity in itself, at least on those portions of the Turnpike I normally travel. I was thrilled to see him, because I thought he was pursuing a tractor-trailer that had passed me moments earlier doing at least 80 mph. I don't think that's where the trooper was headed, however. I didn't see his car on the shoulder for the next 10 or 15 miles of my trip.
Every time I drive the Turnpike, and to a lesser extent the Garden State Parkway, I can't help but wondering whether the state's decision not to enforce the speed limit on those roads affects driving behavior on other roads in the state with lower limits. I assume the justification for the light traffic details on the Parkway and Turnpike in the central portion of the state is relatively low accident/fatality rates. But to allow motorists to consistently and flagrantly ignore posted limits there can't help but contribute to the widespread notion that traffic laws can be ignored with impunity anywhere in New Jersey. Failure to adequately patrol those two major thoroughfares is a major mistake.

Reconcile state workforce numbers

What kind of a job is state government doing in managing payroll and improving efficiency? State lawmakers tried to get a handle on it at a budget hearing Thursday, but were largely stonewalled by two embarrassingly unprepared Cabinet officers - corrections commissioner George Hayman and personnel commissioner Rolando Torres Jr.
Torres was unable to provide information about year-old proposals for cutting costs. And he couldn't reconcile his Executive Branch workforce numbers with those of federal statistics. Torres said the executive branch had shrunk from 70,231 positions to 69,011 - about 1.7 percent - last year.
Hayman, who was finally confirmed as corrections ommissioner in January after serving as acting commissioner for a year amid concerns about his fitness for the job, did nothing to dispel those concerns last week.
Even if the Legislature is serious about looking for ways to make state government more efficient - something that is far from a given - it can't make intelligent decisions if they aren't informed ones. Lawmakers need good data. They must insist that Torres, Hayman and other department heads give it to them.

Ocean County growth slowing, but not much

The latest revised Census estimates show that Ocean County had the second-highest growth rate in New Jersey between 2000 and July 2006 - 10.1 percent. Gloucester was first at 10.3 percent. But in absolute numbers, Ocean County was far and away the fastest growing, adding 51,419 people. Middlesex County was runnerup with 36,809.
Monmouth County's growth rate was only 3.2 percent - ranking it 14th of 21 counties during that period. Its population grew by 19,984.
Between July 2005 and July 2006, growth slowed in both Monmouth and Ocean County, according to the estimates, with Ocean ranking 5th statewide and Monmouth 16th. Gloucester was number one, both in growth rate - 1.2 percent - and absolute numbers - 4,995 new people.
Interestingly, Hudson County, which has led the state in building permits issued the past couple of years, continued to lose population - a consequence, in large part, of gentrification there.
The combined populations of Ocean and Monmouth counties are now nearly 1.2 million. If they were a city, they would rank 10th nationally.

Get the maniacs off the roads

What does it take for someone to have their license permanently revoked? What is the state doing to keep drivers with utter contempt for motor vehicle laws, and the courts, off the streets? Obviously, not enough.

We reported in today's paper, in a front page story headlined "Other 2 were bad drivers, too" that the two other young men involved in the street racing accident in Neptune last week that took the lives of three passengers in a third car also had a long list of motor vehicle violations.

The driver of the car in which three people were killed had more than three dozen violations. And he was only 19! The two other drivers had a combined 35 points against them. One had his license suspended nine times. The other lost it five times - once for doing 105 mph in a 65 mph zone. He had been involved in three accidents.
It's astonishing that people with those kinds of driving records can be allowed to get behind the wheel. We will continue to explore this story further, to determine what can be done to deal with people who have absolutely no regard for the law or for the safety of others.

Don't blame Sen. Bryant alone

An administrator at Rutgers-Camden sent e-mails to all 440 faculty members last week seeking information about any dealings they had with Sen. Wayne R. Bryant, who was hired by the university in 2002 and paid up to $35,000 a year as guest lecturer, but apparently did little work before his job was eliminated last year.
Rutgers officials say they will turn over whatever information they receive from the faculty to the FBI, which has been investigating Bryant for more than a year. Question: Why doesn’t the FBI, and the top administration at Rutgers, focus instead on the person who hired Bryant, and the person responsible for supervising him?
The probe was apparently triggered by a federal monitor’s report that found Bryant had a no-show job at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, where he helped steer $12.5 million in state grants. At Rutgers-Camden, Bryant was hired ias a "distinguished adjunct professor of law and public affairs" a few months after he had helped pass legislation that provided funds for an $11 million campus expansion.
The FBI should be going after Bryant. But it also should be going after the Rutgers’ officials who signed off on his hiring and who kept him on the payroll long after it was clear he wasn’t doing anything to earn his keep.

More deception by the NRC

If anyone who has been following the Oyster Creek license renewal process over the past couple of years isn't convinced by now that the process is rigged to ensure the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's desired outcome - license renewal - read the op-ed in today's Press by Dennis Zannoni, New Jersey's former chief nuclear engineer in the state Department of Environmental Protection's Bureau of Nuclear Engineering. Zannoni, a veteran employee who was intimately familiar with Oyster Creek's operations, was recently reassigned after an NRC official complained Zannoni had criticized the credentials of the members of an NRC advisory committee.
If the op-ed doesn't raise doubts in your mind about the wisdom of granting Oyster Creek a 20-year license renewal, a recent letter from Sandia National Laboratories, should. A manager for Sandia, which conducted an analysis of the plant drywell's ability to withstand stress, alleged that the NRC staff misrepresented the Sandia study, which an NRC advisory committee used to help justify its decision to conditionally approve Oyster Creek's relicensing. The letter was sent about a week after the decision was made. Had the representation not be made, Sandia's position on the drywell may have been substantially different.
Gov. Corzine, DEP commissioner Lisa Jackson and the region's federal legislators need to reopen the review of the drywell, based on Sandia's concerns.

The letter:

From: "Hessheimer, Michael"
To:
Date: 02/09/2007 12:57:53 PM
Subject: Comments on Buckling Limits for the Oyster Creek Drywell

Donnie,
I'd like to clarify a few points regarding our design analysis of the
Oyster Creek drywell shell documented in SAND-2007-0055 which were
discussed at the ACRS meeting on February 1. Our views on these issues
differ somewhat from the opinions presented by the licensee and the
Staff. In the event we are called upon to explain our views in the
future, I thought it was important to explain them to you first.
First, my comments below not withstanding, I would like to reiterate
that the fundamental conclusion in our report is still valid: Based on
our analysis of the 'best estimate' of the actual condition of the
degraded drywell shell during the extended license period, subject to
the assumptions stated in the report, the margins of safety for the
prescribed design loads satisfy the requirements of Subsection NE and
Code Case N-284 of the ASME B&PV code.

The emphasis by the licensee and others on determining the minimum
uniform thickness in the sandbed region at the various ACRS meetings has
tended to obscure this conclusion. We believe that it is important to
understand the subtle distinction that the minimum uniform thickness
across the entire sandbed region is not equivalent to the minimum
thickness anywhere across the sandbed region. The minimum uniform
thickness in the sandbed region should not be used to determine
compliance with the Code requirements. Since we cannot determine a
priori the location and extent of any future reduction in the shell wall
thickness, it is only meaningful and appropriate use the minimum uniform
thickness in the context of establishing a threshold for ongoing
surveillance, which might trigger a re-evaluation of the vessel. There
may be more appropriate threshold values on wall thickness which could
be established, however, we have not investigated this under the scope
of our current Work Order.

In the Staff's presentation to the ACRS on February 1, regarding the
stability or buckling limits, statements were made that the Sandia
analysis "did not include the effect of hoop tension in determining the
minimum shell thickness" in the sandbed region. The implication was
that we should have used an increased capacity reduction factor in
determining this value.

While we did not apply the increase in the capacity reduction factor due
to the presence of hoop tension (resulting from internal pressure)
allowed by ASME B&PV Code Case N-284, the theoretical buckling load
determined by the linear elastic finite element analysis, to which the
capacity reduction factor is applied, does, in fact, explicitly account
for the hoop tension which develops in the shell. This is evidenced by
the 'double-lobe' shape of the buckling mode in the sand bed region
illustrated in Figure 4.4 of our report. In the absence of hoop tension
in this area, we would expect a 'single-lobe' buckled shape to occur at
a lower theoretical buckling load. Therefore, we do not think it is
appropriate to take additional credit for the presence of hoop tension
(whether a result of internal pressure or arising from deformation of
the shell under the action of vertical loading).

We do not agree that the application of the increased capacity reduction
factor to our analysis, as presented to the ACRS by both the licensee
and the Staff, to determine the minimum uniform thickness in the sandbed
region is correct.
It may be helpful to offer a discussion of the provisions of Code Case
N-284 in the context of the current investigation to further explain the
basis for our position. The Code Case recognizes that constructed
shells exhibit lower buckling strengths, due to geometric and material
imperfections, than the theoretical capacity computed for idealized
geometries. The capacity reduction factors specified in the Code Case
reflects the important work by Dr. Miller and others to quantify this
effect for shells constructed within the tolerances specified by the
B&PV code. As he described at the ACRS meeting, the presence of
membrane tension may reduce the effect of initial geometric
imperfections and justify an increase in the capacity reduction factor,
i.e. allow a higher buckling load.
However, these empirically based reduction factors are presumed to be
conservative when used in conjunction with the analytic procedures (i.e.
by formula) described in N-284 without distinction for the complex
geometries and boundary conditions present in constructed vessels. The
capacity reduction factors in the Code Case does not distinguish between
determination of theoretical buckling via the prescribed analytic
methods or by more rigorous numerical (finite element) methods which
explicitly account for the biaxial stress state. (It is arguable
whether this presumption of conservatism for the reduction factors is
valid for shells which exhibit deformations from many years of
operational loading and environmentally induced degradation which may
further exacerbate the effect of initial imperfections.)
I hope this discussion clarifies some possible misunderstanding of
Sandia's analysis and the implications of the results. I've reviewed
these concerns with other members of our technical staff who are
recognized for their expertise in computational structural mechanics and
theyconcur with the positions stated. If you have any questions or
would like discuss any of these points further, please let me know.
-Mike
Michael F. Hessheimer, P.E.
Manager, Systems & Structures, Dept. 6764
Sandia National Laboratories
PO Box 5800
Albuquerque, New Mexico 87185-0744
e-mail: mfhessh@sandia.gov

Budget-busting contracts

Some towns and school boards have done a better job this year keeping tax rate increases at or below the cost of living. But many have not. If you are looking for clues as to why, a good place to start would be the public employee contracts. While towns and school boards like to keep the contracts under wraps, they can be found on the New Jersey Public Employment Relations Council Web site. Every public contract must be filed with PERC, and all of them are posted on the Web. Some make for depressing reading. But they help underscore the point that meaningful property tax relief will never happen unless public employee benefits and salaries are brought under control. Broader public awareness of what the contracts contain may finally force elected officials to do something about them.

Enforce the speed limits

A letter to the editor last week in which the author offered a defense of aggressive driving created a flurry of responses - almost all of which were outraged by his position. Essentially, he argued that the real danger on the Garden State Parkway was drivers who refused to stay in the right lane if they weren't doing over 65 mph. He said the right lane during rush hour was for people who did 65, the middle lanes were for those who were doing 65 to 75 and the passing lane was for people doing 80. The problem, he said, was people who were only doing 65 were forcing those doing 75 to 80 to pass unsafely.
He's right that people who aren't passing should keep right. That's the law - one, unfortunately, that is never enforced. But to suggest that people who are going 65 - the maximum allowable limit - have no business being in lanes intended for those doing 75 to 80 is scary. Clearly, that mentality is pervasive. On my trip to work this morning, heading north on the Parkway south of the Asbury Park exit, I had the right lane to myself for a good part of the trip. I was doing 65 to 68. I didn't catch up to anyone in front of me, and cars were zooming past, many doing 75 and 80.
Why aren't the troopers out there? My guess: There probably haven't been many fatalities on that stretch. Unfortunately, deaths or no deaths, if you allow people to go that fast with no consequences, the behavior will become ingrained, no matter where they are. That leads to deaths and aggressive behavior on roads where there are fewer margins for error. There will be no demonstrable drop in auto deaths in New Jersey without stepped-up enforcement.

Good time to fill 'er up on Parkway

The cheapest gasoline prices in New Jersey today -- $2.28 a gallon for regular unleaded -- were to be found at the Lukoil stations along the Garden State Parkway, according to newjerseygasprices.com. When prices are on the rise, the Parkway is often your best bet for lower prices because prices only change once a week.

And prices have been on the rise - nearly 20 percent in the past month. Prices bottomed out around $2 in early February. Today, they are up to $2.38 -- 11 cents higher than a week ago and 25 cents higher than a year ago.

The highest prices in New Jersey -- as usual -- can be found in Summit, where two stations today were charging $2.89 a gallon. Gasoline has smashed through the $3 a gallon barrier again in parts of California and Hawaii. According to analysts, that isn’t likely to happen here, but prices are expected to get much higher before they start coming down again.

Where did Carla get the money?

Carla Katz, CWA president and former girlfriend of Gov. Corzine, paid $1.1 million in cash a few months ago for a condo in Hoboken, the Star-Ledger reported today. She has refused to say where she got the money to pay for it. She can pretty much kiss her union career good-bye. And Corzine's political career could come to a premature end if doesn't finally come clean on the exact nature of the gifts he gave Katz before they split up.

The condo, Katz says, is not her primary residence. She uses it to crash when she attends classes at Seton Hall Law School. Corzine forgave Katz a $470,000 interest-free loan on her primary residence in Hunterdon County shortly after they broke up in 2004. He said later that he did so because he didn't think Katz had the means to repay the loan. But somehow she found the means to buy the condo, build a 3,200-square-foot addition to her house in Hunterdon - complete with a swimming pool, spa and septic system - and pay rent on another home in Hunterdon while the work is being completed on her primary residence.

Oh, yes, the attorney who represented Katz in her Hoboken real estate transaction was one of the lead negotiators Corzine hired to work on the recently negotiated CWA contract - one that again put the screws to taxpayers.

Chris Christie and the IRS need to put their best people on this case. The ramifications could be staggering.

The Cootie Report

I settled in last night with Travel & Leisure magazine's quarterly Family supplement, aimed at travelers with kids. The cover tease "Tropical 10: Best Caribbean resorts" caught my eye. All of them looked delectable. The only thing that wasn't were the prices. Just one was less than $370 a night, without airfare. The Westin St. John Resort & Villas was $759 a night. That was depressing enough. Then I flipped to another article, "The Truth About Hotel Rooms," dubbed "The Cootie Report."

The catchy intro: "It's 8 p.m., and you're all snug in your room - the kids are rolling on the carpet, gumming the remote, trying to knock each other out with pillows. What's wrong with this picture? According to a number of new germ studies, plenty. No matter how nice the establishment, chances are that some invisible guests have dodged the housekeeper."

The "guests" the article referred to included bacteria in sinks and toilets, bedbugs, dust mites, pet dander, athlete's foot fungus and cold viruses - which the article said can survive for 24 hours on lamp switches. It almost made me feel less bad about not being able to afford a pricey Caribbean resort.

The T&L Web site has a link to the Top 10 tropical resort piece, http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/the-tropical-10-the-best-caribbean-resorts, but not to the "Cootie Report." If you're queasy about dust mites and bedbugs, it's probably better that way.

Slow the growth in Jackson

We ran a story in Wednesday's Press about a 2,531-unit housing development proposed for a 611-acre site in the Jackson Mills section of Jackson, south of I-195. If built, it will add 8,000 people to Jackson's rapidly growing population, which was 51,180 in the July 2005 Census estimate, up from 42,000 in the 2000 Census.
Earlier this week, the Jackson Planning Board voted 6-3 to approve a 965-unit age-restricted development on 650 acres in the Cassville section, despite vocal opposition to it from local residents concerned about its impact on traffic and the environment. Another 493-home subdivision on Grawtown Road will come before the planners Monday night.
Bottom line: Jackson's schools and municipal services can't cope with the existing growth, let alone what's planned for the near future. Taxes have gone through the roof, and the school system hasn't been able to keep up with the increased student enrollment. The school district is now using 37 trailers, many of which have been in use for years. School officials say they haven't figured out what the impact on enrollment would be of a 2,531-unit housing development. They need to find out, and join forces with the groups that are rightly concerned about the effect this development - and the two others - would have on Jackson's quality of life.
It's a shame that Jackson township officials seem to be leaving it up to concerned citizens and environmental groups to fight overdevelopment. Citizens should keep the pressure on them. Those interested in fighting the Jackson Mills development should go to the "Stop the Building Madness in Jackson Township" Web site at: http://www.pcicon.net/index.htm, or contact the New Jersey chapter of the Sierra Club, Ocean County group, http://newjersey.sierraclub.org/Ocean/, or the National Trust for Public Land (Barnegat Bay Program) at http://www.tpl.org/tier3_cdl.cfm?content_item_id=11224&folder_id=2286.

Here's Wednesday's new story: http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070228/NEWS/702280316